ffay005

I wonder if you FinnairPlus_Ela could help me with something.

Back in 1992, I joined AY+ and used my middle name + last name to join, as my middle name is the one that I’ve always been adressed by.

All my tickets have always been booked with middle name + last name.

Sometimes, especially in the US, check-in agents give me a hard time for this. AA online check-in for international flights to/from doesn’t work, either. This mostly concerns partners such as AA and BA. However, also AY to some extent because when the gate agents machine read my passport details, the names don’t match and I get the red beep and they need to do some typing.

For years, I’ve been thinking about changing the AY+ account’s name so that it would be first name + last name. But I’ve always had so many open bookings, on several airlines, that it has felt like a lot of hassle.

However, right now, I only have three open bookings, all with AY only, and feel that it’s now or never.

So:

Question 1. Is it possible to make a name change in the AY+ account and change it from middle name + last name to first name + last name? With the help of an agent, of course, and with a passport copy provided if needed (although AY already has my passport details of course).

Question 2. Is it needed and possible to make a name change for these three open bookings? Or would it be possible to not change the name and make a note in the booking that despite the mismatch, the bookings are eligible for points in my account?

Or should I just stick to what I have and bear the occasional hassle and mild harrasment from some less good AA agents…

intuition

I assume by middlename you mean your second firstname?
it should pose no problem to AY+ I have done this some years ago as I had the exact same situation as you.

(At least in some places a middlename is neither a firstname nor a lastname)

intuition

Anecdotally, SK has gone crazy with account names. My account, made up of my common firstname and lastname suddenly got updated. They synced names with official registry so I now have 4 names on my account. At the time of change I had avtive tickets and thus name mismatch. They didnt care, account name had to be synced.

At another time though, after signingva fake name on a survey they sent me a member card in the name Gnu (wildebeast) .
Apparantly not so important after all...

ffay005

Well yes, as in "Matti Antero Virtanen", I've always gone by "Antero" but it would make life easier to go by "Matti" as far as flight bookings are concerned.

Do you remember what they did with the open and upcoming bookings that you had when you made the name change?

intuition

I think I either had no open bookings or no destinations that bothered me. I did not ask to change any bookings IIRC.

Beware though. Ever since, they sometimes call me or great me by eg Matti and I go
WHO is that?? Right, its me!

FFlash

The whole airline industry is stupid and crazy on this. Mere δεφ letters are good enough exceuses for then to harass people. Then dont treat you by trust but as criminal.